Centre staff
Dr Tom Allen
Sports engineering researcher
Phone 0114 225 3996
E-mail t.allen@shu.ac.uk
Dr Tom Allen is a lecturer in engineering design at Sheffield Hallam University. He leads the University's BSc (Hons) Sports Technology course and is the associate editor of Sports Engineering.
Tom specialises in finite element analysis and the research and development of sports equipment. His PhD was sponsored by Prince, and set out to build and validate a finite element model of a tennis ball impacting with a racket. Since completing his PhD Tom has continued to work with Prince on a range of collaborative research projects.
He enjoys engaging with the public about engineering and has given lectures at the Royal Institute’s Faraday lecture theatre, as well as two dates on an Institute of Engineering and Technology European Lecture Tour.
Prior to joining the centre at Sheffield Hallam University he graduated from the University of Plymouth, with a BEng (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering, before undertaking a six-month internship within the adidas Innovation Team in Germany.
Background
- BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering from the University of Plymouth, with an industrial placement at Toshiba Information Systems
- PhD in Sports Engineering from Sheffield Hallam University on finite element modeling of tennis rackets
- Member of the adidas innovation team in Germany
Responsibilities
- consultancy
- research outputs
- teaching and public engagement
- MSc and PhD supervision
Skills
- finite element analysis
- engineering design
- experimental design and analysis
- materials testing
Research interests
- physics of tennis
- research and development of sports equipment
- analysis of the performance of sports equipment
Selected publications since 2001
Haake, S.J., Jones, A., Spurr, J., Allen, T. & Goodwill, S. (in press). Effect of inter-string friction on tennis ball rebound, Proceedings of the institution of mechanical engineers, part j, Journal of Engineering Tribology.
Allen, T. Ibbitson, J. & Haake, S.J., (in press). Spin generation during an oblique impact of a compliant ball on a non-compliant surface, Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology.
Wiart, N., Kelley, J., James, D., Allen, T (2011). Effect of temperature on soccer ball dynamics. Proceedings of the institution of mechanical engineers, part p: journal of sports engineering and technology, 223 (4), 189-198.
Wiart, N., Kelley, J., James, D., Allen, T (in press). Effect of temperature on soccer ball dynamics. Proceedings of the institution of mechanical engineers, part p: journal of sports engineering and technology.
Allen, T., Haake, S.J, and Goodwill, S.R. (2011). Effect of tennis racket parameters on a simulated groundstroke. Journal of Sports Sciences. 29(3): 311–325.
Allen, T., Haake, S.J, and Goodwill, S.R. (2010). Effect of friction on tennis ball impacts. Proceedings of the institution of mechanical engineers, part p: journal of sports engineering and technology, 224 (3), 229-236.
Allen, T., Haake, S.J. and Goodwill, S.R. (2009). 'Comparison of a finite element model of a tennis racket to experimental data', Journal of Sports Engineering, Vol. 12 (2), pp 87-98.
